humming baseboard heat

[benmin]

I have a 8' piece of baseboard heat that hums. The cause is not from vibration but the electronic Tstat. I plan to install a hydronic baseboard heater hoping it will cure the problem. Anyone have any input on this?

 

[gadfly56]

I have a 8' piece of baseboard heat that hums. The cause is not from vibration but the electronic Tstat. I plan to install a hydronic baseboard heater hoping it will cure the problem. Anyone have any input on this?

If the t-stat isn't programmable, replace it with a simple bi-metallic suitable for electric heat.

 

[benmin]

I happens to be a programable

 

[gadfly56]

When you say "hydronic", do you mean to punch a couple of holes in the floor and route hot water through a finned tube? That sounds like a awful lot of trouble to go through for a little hum.

 

[kwired]

When you say "hydronic", do you mean to punch a couple of holes in the floor and route hot water through a finned tube? That sounds like a awful lot of trouble to go through for a little hum.

He possibly means an oil filled electric baseboard heater that heats the contained oil instead of direct heating element type.

 

[gadfly56]

He possibly means an oil filled electric baseboard heater that heats the contained oil instead of direct heating element type.

Well, OK. But don't they usually come with the thermostat integrated into the unit?

 

[benmin]

Yes it is a oil filled electric baseboard heater that heats the contained oil instead of direct heating element. The types I am familiar with do not come with a tstat intergrated into it. They are supposably more energy efficient, very quiet and about 6 times the price.

After the customer saw the price he opted for the original plan to swap his digital Tstat out to a basic generic one.

 

[GoldDigger]

They are supposably more energy efficient,

I would take that with a very large grain of salt. Maybe they operate at a lower surface temperature and provide a more even heat distribution, with less cycling and overshoot, but any electric resistance heater will deliver the same number of BTU/hr per watt.
Any inefficiency is simply in the level of comfort for the same number of BTUs.

 

[Sierrasparky]

Yes it is a oil filled electric baseboard heater that heats the contained oil instead of direct heating element. The types I am familiar with do not come with a tstat intergrated into it. They are supposably more energy efficient, very quiet and about 6 times the price.

After the customer saw the price he opted for the original plan to swap his digital Tstat out to a basic generic one.

I think some of those electronic thermostats are pulsed width. That could be your problem. Many of those pulsed width have a continuous setting too.

 

[kwired]

I think some of those electronic thermostats are pulsed width. That could be your problem. Many of those pulsed width have a continuous setting too.

I can see such a controller for process control environment but seems a bit overkill for a baseboard heater. But do agree if you had such a controller it may make the heater sing. All the electronic thermostats I can recall ever seeing for such an application were still driving a relay to switch the load, but I suppose there may be some fully solid state controls out there.